EASO Collaborating Centres for Obesity Management (COMs)

The Concept

Obesity is recognised as a global epidemic and the most prevalent metabolic disease world-wide. However, specialised obesity services are not widely available in Europe and obesity care can therefore vary enormously across European regions. In response to this situation, EASO has developed a network of accredited specialised obesity centres, where the quality and efficacy of the care offered to patients are of the highest standards. Under the EASO Collaborating Centres for Obesity Management (COM) scheme, centres will be accredited in accordance with accepted European and academic guidelines. Our aim is to provide physicians, health-care policy makers and health-care providers with authoritative criteria for the development of Obesity Management Centres across Europe, recognized by national health authorities. Accreditation will be granted for a three year period, after which time re-assessment will be undertaken.

Who Should Apply?

The EASO COM network will include university, public and private clinics. Each centre must comply with clearly defined requirements and work in close collaboration for the better management of all obese patients. Each accredited centre must ensure that the obese and overweight patient is managed by a holistic team of specialists and will receive comprehensive state-of-the-art clinical care. Furthermore, the participating centres, under the umbrella of EASO, will work closely for quality control, data collection and analysis, as well as education and research for the advancement of obesity care and obesity science.

Each centre will be expected to:

Implement state-of-the art evidence-based care for obese patients

Monitor all obesity- related medical conditions and risk factors

Provide high quality patient and public information

Improve access to care pathways by optimizing referral processes and developing close working between levels of care

Encourage development of and support Patient Associations, by sharing experience and expertise

Offer or collaborate with preventive care services

Promote obesity related knowledge and awareness among the public and health care providers

Improve the collaboration interface between clinical researchers and scientists

Integrate health care, teaching and research

Facilitate clinical research projects

Why Should You Apply?

Each member centre will be accredited, for a three year period, as having met comprehensive criteria as set out by EASO and according to recognised European management guidelines – and will therefore be recognised as a leading obesity management centre in Europe. Accredited centres will have the opportunity to:

contribute to the development of EASO pan-European protocols for the evaluation of obese patients

contribute to the development of consensus statements/guidelines on specialised aspects of obesity management

contribute to obesity education across Europe

participate in an EASO led pan-European scientific/clinical exchange programme

participate in EASO facilitated Clinical Trials and Pilot Studies

participate in EASO coordinated research projects

participate in COM ‘Summit Meetings’ at each ECO (European Congress on Obesity)

access and contribute to an EASO pan-European system of data collection and analysis

access a web-based COM community where each centre can post job vacancies and highlight the key capabilities and features of the centre

How Can You Apply?

All interested centres should complete the EASO COM Application Form which will be assessed by the EASO OMTF (Obesity Management Task Force). Thereafter, feedback will be given and where necessary assessment site visits will be conducted. No application fee will be charged. However, for those centres that require an assessment site visit, the applicant centre will be expected to cover the travel and accommodation costs of a maximum of two EASO OMTF members. Applications will be evaluated twice per year. The deadline for the next phase of applications will be announced shortly.

Note: The EASO COMs form a network of European obesity management centres that unite to exchange expertise and experience. Each EASO COM is assessed for membership based on the criteria set out above and each is a separate and independent legal entity. Neither EASO nor any individual COM member is responsible for the services or activities of any other member. EASO does not necessarily endorse projects and actions undertaken by individual COMs members outwith the COMs setting.

COMs Group:

Work within an accredited COM? Then join the COMs Group and participate in discussions about funding, research and clinical practices.